NZ Falcon Information Report

The New Zealand Falcon is a threatened bird. It is endemic to NZ. The māori name for the New Zealand
Falcon is Kārearea. The New Zealand Falcon is capable of flying at speeds over 100km.

Physical Features

All ages of Kārearea have dark eyes, long pointed wings and pointed tails. The adults have yellow feet,
streaked cream breast and males are one third smaller than females. When they are perched they
have an upside down teardrop shaped silhouette. Their eye ring is grey-blue. They also have a distinct
moustache and stripe running from the back.

Habitat/Location

Southern Falcons live in Fiordland which is located in the south-western corner of the South Island.
The large paler eastern Falcons live in hotter drier habitats east of the Southern Alps. Some Auckland
Kārearea are found in the Chatham Island and in bushy areas around mountains. They live in scrapes
and on cliff edges.

Feeding Behaviour

The New Zealand Falcon can catch prey bigger than itself. It eats birds like White Faced Herons,
Ducks, Kēreru and Pheasants.It attacks their prey with their claws then drags it to a plucking post.
It plucks all the feathers and dislocates the birds neck then eats the bird. Their diet are a range of
animals like insects, mammals, lizards and birds.

Reproduction

In summer they lay 1-4 eggs. When they incubate their eggs it is done by the female. The male usually
does the hunting and the breeding seasons are July and June. The laying months are July, February,
March, April, May and June.

Threats

Their threats are cats, possums, and humans. We/People are cutting to much trees down so most
birds have no homes were they are safe so their predators are stealing chicks, eggs and are killing
these birds.The NZ Falcon will fight for their babies even if the threat is larger. They have large territories
and are very defensive. They are fearless and are a skilled manu/ birds.